Not a secret: I’m terrible at interviews

I’ve been interviewing in many places lately. Mostly for software developer, web developer positions. I consider myself to have plenty of knowledge, but having 1-2 hours to exhibit said knowledge can be one of the most challenging parts of an interview. If the interviewer doesn’t like your answer, even though you could be technically right, that’s it for you.

If I get too nervous I tend to forget things. No matter how basic they are, it’s just that moment that gets me when they ask me an specific question. I know I have used it before, but it doesn’t matter; I can’t answer the question.

My journey on trying to master the secret arts of interviews isn’t much on the technical part. Sometimes, it’s just the administration part of it. The leadership questions that for some reason are popular.

It doesn’t matter if I can show code or not. If you don’t answer the questions, or at least mention what they want to hear then there’s another possible job down for you.

Now I can see what Hacker News people have been saying all along. The interview methods for hiring developers is broken to tiny little pieces. I’ve gotten to the point that I blame myself for not knowing enough, but never considering that the style of the interview, the interviewer, and whatever question is carries incredibly impacts the screening process. For all we know the person interviewed is the true answer for that job, but the style of the interview doesn’t let him or her shine.

So, for now I’m getting more misses than hits. You just never know what kind of crazy thing they are looking for in a person. So I stopped blaming myself and decided to keep my chin up until I find a place that can value the knowledge and skills I have. A place that can value you as a human being and not a thing you can put checklists on.